MilliBeam lands A$4.6M in grants, unveils soldier-portable drone jammer
What's the deal? Sydney deep-tech startup MilliBeamDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has secured A$4.6 million in federal government grants and unveiled Rakurai, a portable counter-uncrewed aerial system designed to disrupt multiple radio frequencies simultaneously.
The details: The funding comprises A$2.6 million through the Industry Growth Program and A$2 million from the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative for next-generation semiconductor chipsets. Rakurai uses custom-designed chips and antennas to address the weight, power and frequency limitations of existing handheld systems.
Why now? The Sydney startup is targeting Australia's Project Land 156 and the 2026 National Defence Strategy, which prioritise sovereign counter-drone capability. Founder and CEO Venkata GuttaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → said Australia has a narrow window to build that foundation locally. The prototype has reached Technology Readiness Level 5 and is being prepared for field testing.
The signal: Main Sequence VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → partner Mike Nicholls said designing the chips, antennas and RF architecture together could help deliver sovereign defence capability from the ground up.
Read more: Startup Daily
Image credit: MilliBeam
